


And You Belong With Me

by AFey



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, Hopeful Ending, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 17:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11582748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFey/pseuds/AFey
Summary: Andy discovers leaving Miranda is not so easy.





	1. Chapter 1

_And every time_

_anybody speaks your name_

_I still feel the same_

_I ache, I ache, I ache inside_

_The Last Day on Earth - Kate Miller-Heidke_

************

She leaves Miranda in Paris. A deliberate choice to save herself. Their last connection lies at the bottom of a fountain in the Place de la Concorde. She is finally free. Or so she thinks.

In New York, the harsh truth asserts itself. Distance from Miranda only makes it worse. Eyes meet across a busy street and the yearning is stronger than before. An ache remains even as her former boss disappears inside the town car. She fakes a nonchalant shrug and walks away.

Her new job is fine. Her new co-workers are fine. She is not. Settling into the workplace means getting to know each other. She loses count of the number of times she hears the name. Usually it's part of an insult - “Is it true Miranda’s a total bitch to work for?” She chooses diplomacy in response.

Eventually their curiosity dies down. Andy spends her days learning the ropes, tracking down leads, trying to get her stories published. She keeps busy and it helps. She avoids all the places she can think of that might lead her back to Miranda, convincing herself that she only needs time. Every broken heart, even hers, must heal with time.

At night, in the dark, the lie is harder to believe. Before she falls into a fitful sleep, the memories assail her. A punishment she hates, yet repeats over and over. Miranda above her, a rarely seen smile on her face. Miranda below her, eyes tightly closed, hands grasping expensive sheets. Miranda afterwards, curled up behind her.

Andy shuns anything that will remind her of _Runway_. She ignores emails from Nigel, even though she misses his humour. She doesn't open what she suspects are snarky emails from Emily. Most of all, she avoids calls from her former boss. Calls to her new phone number that Miranda shouldn't even know. 

She carves out a life that bears little resemblance to what she had before or during her time at _Runway_. She makes new friends and besides her family, Doug is the only person she keeps from her past. He knows and respects the rules. No mentions of Nate, the magazine or Miranda.

A year passes and she is fine. It's either the truth or a falsehood she's repeated so often she fails to notice the difference. It doesn't matter.

She gets promoted, she celebrates, she starts to date again. Tall, dark-haired men who try to impress her but leave her cold. Women, unfailingly beautiful, but with hair that is always the wrong colour. She realises she is still very far from fine.

It's then she decides to face the ghost. She calls Miranda's office, a number she's embarrassed to have memorised. To her surprise, the call is put straight through. One word, “Andrea”, is all it takes to realise her folly. It all comes rushing back - lust, greed and pride. She expects wrath, wants wrath. She receives kindness. It is her undoing.

A dinner is planned. She wants to cancel. She should cancel. She doesn't.

Always a moth to the flame, she walks into some hole in the wall restaurant she's amazed Miranda suggested. But of course, nobody of importance will see them here. That's always been the issue. Secrecy or nothing at all.

She walks over to Miranda, and just like before, is blind to everything else. She is stunned when the other woman rises from her chair. Shocked when she reaches for her. Delighted when when their lips meet. Astonished when she draws back and sees Nigel and Emily nearby.

This is a first. An encounter with Miranda, witnessed by people who matter. She hopes it’s a new beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrea will always be her exception to the rule.

_Farewell so long_

_‘Cause I was wrong I confess_

_Farewell - Rosie Thomas_

*********

Miranda Priestly is surprised by very little.

The machinations to oust her are completely expected. Perhaps even overdue. She barely raises a sweat dealing with it. That Nigel’s a casualty is regrettable but necessary nonetheless.

The editor is never wrong.

Florals for spring will never be groundbreaking. Her demands for perfection are completely reasonable. No one else can do what she does for _Runway_. Everyone wants her life.

Miranda is hardly ever surprised and never wrong. Until Andrea. She is the exception to the rule.

Andrea abandoning her in Paris and cutting off all contact. Both a surprise and a miscalculation on her part. She lives on hope. The fragile hope that her former assistant and lover will return.

She feigns disinterest when both Nigel and Emily complain that Andrea ignores their emails. From her office she hears them speculate about the reasons why. She holds back the vital piece of information. Yes, her betrayal of Nigel is part of it. But it's not the most important part.

Miranda makes use of her contacts and obtains her new phone number. She ignores the obvious hint and rings Andrea every week. The calls are never answered, never returned and yet she always leaves a message. Knowing they will remain unheard, she speaks the truth - I was wrong.

She continues to work as hard as always. That she finds her job less absorbing is a problem she's sure will resolve itself. There are still challenges ahead of her. Time will mend what willpower fails to conquer.

A year passes.

Stephen is long gone, for which she is thankful. His affair, once splashed across the tabloids, is now old news. Her own affair remains undiscovered.

She spends more time with her girls. They are her mirage in a bland, colourless desert.

The magazine continues to be a success. The world of fashion still sits in the palm of her hand. As always, designers await her verdict with trepidation and misguided optimism. She gains little pleasure from it all.

She is escorted to events by a series of suitable men. Page Six is delighted. Miranda is bored stiff.

She faces the fact that she will never see or hear from Andrea again. She is a fool twice-over. A fool to engage in an affair with a woman half her age in the first place. A bigger fool not to acknowledge just how much she loved her.

A week later she is surprised once more.

The call comes at a blissfully quiet time. A time when she can speak the truth without a curious audience.

Miranda says her name for the first time in twelve months. "Andrea." It's a plea and a promise. A plea for forgiveness and a promise to be better. She follows it with the words she should have said in Paris.

Somehow it's enough. Andrea agrees to meet her for dinner. She suggests a place she's never been to. It's not expensive or popular, but she's read some favourable reviews and is sure her dinner companion will enjoy it.

She asks Nigel and Emily to meet her there. They look surprised, worried, confused. She graces them with a rare smile and assures them that everything is fine.

Miranda arrives before all of them and as planned, sits down at a table which affords the best view of the restaurant’s entrance. Emily and Nigel appear soon after, flustered to see she is already waiting. She greets them quietly, and points to a nearby table.

And then she's there in the doorway. Miranda is oblivious to everything as she rises from her chair. She wants to rush to her side, but decorum keeps her in place. The restraint disappears once Andrea is within arms reach. She embraces her and places a firm kiss on her lips.

Miranda hears gasps nearby and is amused when she sees the matching looks of disbelief on the faces of her colleagues.

She turns back to Andrea and hopes that the message has been received. This is a new start for them. No more clandestine meetings. No more secrets. Out of the shadows and into the light.


End file.
